A superb motion sensing mouse, but Mac users are short-changed

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Our Verdict

For

Superb motion sensing

Use in air or on desktop

Easy to connect

Against

Not programmable on Mac

Gyration Air Mouse GO Plus uses a similar motion sensing technology to the Nintendo Wii's game controllers.

You can move the on-screen pointer by waving the device in the air. It doesn't even have to be aimed at the screen. There's a laser in there too, so you can also use it flat on your desk in the traditional way.

During in-air operation, mouse movement is only engaged when you hold the activation trigger on the underside of the unit. Releasing this is the equivalent of taking your hand off a desktop mouse, or lifting it off the desk to reposition it on your mouse mat.

The Air Mouse GO Plus is ideal for situations where a standard mouse is inconvenient, such as when you want to use a Mac as a living-room media centre or if you happen to be giving a big-screen presentation.

It feels comfortable in the hand, and the mouse buttons and scroll wheel are reasonably easy to reach with your thumb. Maybe the unit as a whole could be a little smaller, but overall, it's ergonomically sound enough.

While the left and right mouse buttons and the scroll wheel work on a Mac, the drivers for its three programmable buttons are Windows-only.

You can adjust the tracking, scrolling and click speeds through System Preferences as you would with a standard mouse, but there's no way to program the extra buttons. This is a real pity.

The motion sensing technology here is excellent, and if we Mac users got to enjoy everything the Air Mouse GO Plus has to offer, it would certainly get a much better score.